Join Me- A WTNV Story
by buttercupandwestley
Summary: Carlos visits his friend Cecil in the radio station to investigate a series of power-outages in nearby Desert Bluffs. Will he solve the mystery? Will he find a pencil that he's actually allowed to use? Where is this mysterious storm heading next? One-Shot, complete.


Cecil/Carlos for chasing reality

Join Me

A/N I'm not completely caught up in WTNV, so I'm going to try my best. This is somewhere before episode 7, which is where I left off. It got to be a bit long, but I'm long-winded by nature, so there's more to enjoy, I suppose. I tried my best!

"And now, the weather." Cecil crooned, casually flipping a switch and turning his microphone off. He slouched in his office chair and sighed. As much as he loved his job, even the most dedicated radio personalities got tired. Cecil had just finished an in-depth report on why Steve Carlsberg's Corolla was a hazard to Night Vale society, and should be removed along with its owner for the wellbeing of the entire town. He was very proud, having written the piece himself, and he was sure that the town's residents (at least the living ones) would soon take action against this horrible menace. Thoughts gave way slowly to hazy dreams, as he began to doze off in the soft light of the studio's fluorescent panels.

Suddenly, Cecil's thoughts were interrupted by a light knock on the studio door.

"We're off the air! Come in!" Cecil called. The door swung lightly on its hinges, uttering a soft creak as it revealed the visitor in the doorway.

"Hello, Cecil. I brought coffee." Carlos gently shut the door behind him, offering a cup of coffee to his friend. "How long until you go back on the air?" Cecil checked the time.

"I have about four more minutes, give or take a few. What can I do for you today, Carlos? And may I say, your hair is absolutely perfect this morning." Carlos nodded uncertainly, still not used to Cecil's odd obsession with his hair.

"I came to ask a few questions, actually. Do you know anything about the sudden power outage in Desert Bluffs?" Carlos flipped open a small notebook from the pocket of his coat. His conversations with Cecil were always fascinating. He almost never solved any of the mysteries of the strange little town, but talking to Cecil always gave him one thousand more puzzles to solve. Carlos started to reach for a pen off of the desk, but Cecil pushed his hand away.

"I wouldn't use that one if I were you." Cecil's voice took a menacing tone, and his face flickered from cheerful to frightening so fast, that Carlos had to blink to make sure it had even happened. As quickly as Cecil had become angry, he was suddenly cheerful again. "Here, use this." He smiled, offering Carlos the pencil from behind his ear.

"…Thanks." Carlos was a bit uneasy, but he accepted it. "Anyway, about that power outage…" Cecil's face lit up.

"Yes, the blackout that seemingly came from nowhere, and plunged all of Desert Bluffs into darkness. I was the first to report the happy news to all of Night Vale. For once, that miserable community was subjected to the punishment that they deserve after all that they do to our fair town. If we're lucky, their team won't be able to make it to the football match tonight. According to the rules, if they don't show up we still win." He beamed, obviously proud to have helped Carlos with his research. He wanted so desperately to impress the scientist, but the brooding look he was given in return wasn't exactly the response that he was hoping for.

"Do you know what caused the blackout yet?"

"There are many theories about how it happened." Cecil replied, unconsciously slipping into his radio voice. "Some say that Michael Sandero, our local football star, may have sabotaged the power lines, in an attempt to delay the match. Michael pleads not guilty, and his second head couldn't be reached for comment. I sent the new intern, David, out to investigate, but I haven't heard back from him…" Cecil paused, pondering, before checking his watch. "Just a moment Carlos. I have to get back on the air." He grabbed his headset, sliding it over his ears in one swift, familiar movement, and turned the microphone back on.

"Hello again, listeners. Today, perfect Carlos brought coffee into the station for me. He's still sitting here, and we are currently engaging in pleasant conversation. Together, we are investigating the strange sudden power outage that occurred in Desert Bluffs this morning. Might I add that we make quite a team? If you have any information on the subject, write it down on a single sheet of rice paper, and throw it into your fireplace while reciting the lyrics to any well-known pop song. I'm sure I speak for Carlos as well when I say we appreciate any tips that you could offer us. On a completely unrelated note, I would like to extend my sincere condolences to the family of David the intern. He dedicated his life to the public radio community, and he will be missed by all who knew him. But hey, I think that my perfect friend Carlos will be a shoo-in to win the part of David in our annual Thanksgiving Dead Citizens Impersonation Contest." Cecil paused, offering a moment of silence to honour the dead, before continuing enthusiastically. "I would like to take this time to play a special advertisement that was given to me by the Hermits United society, which just opened an office here in town. If you are looking for a place to avoid other people entirely, this is the society for you. Here's a special ad, endorsed and paid for by Hermits United." Cecil's fingers waved dexterously over the array of buttons on the sound boards, and he started to play the infomercial.

"That should buy us quite a bit of time to talk. Even though the Hermits don't come out very often, they sure do enjoy talking." Cecil laughed. As usual, Carlos had a bit of trouble deciding whether or not Cecil was joking, but smiled uncertainly anyway, to be safe.

"Cecil, could it have been a storm that cut the power to Desert Bluffs?" Carlos asked, resuming his illegible scribbles.

"I suppose it's possible. I've heard reports of storms cutting power lines, but I don't think it's happened in Night Vale before."

"You mean you've never had a power outage because of a thunderstorm?" Carlos asked, taking a moment to adjust his glasses.

"I can't recall ever having a thunderstorm, although I once saw a strange phenomenon that appeared to be lightning coming from above the Dog Park. But since there is no Dog Park to begin with, Mayor Winchell has assured me that it was simply a hallucination."

"…Right." Carlos sighed. He was about to continue, when he was suddenly cut off by a loud crack of thunder that seemed to swallow the building. He ran to the window, and saw that it was indeed raining, and a bolt of lightning crashed through the dense clouds, illuminating all of Night Vale in an unearthly glow. Not the glow of the neon Arby's sign, or the glow emanating from the Radon Canyon, but real, natural, lightning. This intrigued Carlos as much as it made him happy. He had found the first thing in this backwards little town that made sense.

"Cecil, did you see that?" Carlos turned to continue the conversation, but apparently his friend had disappeared. "Cecil?"

"It's not safe, Carlos. You should join me." A faint voice quivered. Upon closer examination, Carlos found Cecil cowering under his desk.

"It's just a thunderstorm. You'll be fine, come out from there." Carlos offered Cecil his hand, and he hesitantly came out from hiding. They resumed their previous positions, and Carlos continued writing in his notebook. "I think we've solved the power outage issue, at least."

Cecil sighed. Checking his watch, he silently went to go back on the air. Just as he put his headphones on, everything went black.

"Listeners, in a very sudden turn of events, I have, without any prior warning, gone blind." Cecil said calmly.

"You're not blind, Cecil. The power went out." Carlos offered. "They can't hear you. The radio equipment is down." After several minutes without a response from Cecil, Carlos could make out a very faint humming coming from under Cecil's desk. "Cecil, why are you making that noise?" It was too dark to write, but Carlos made mental notes to write down later.

"It's very dark, and slightly terrifying. I'm fairly certain that death is imminent. You should join me." Cecil resumed humming.

"Thunderstorms are very natural things. Why don't you-" Carlos suddenly realized what was going on. "You're not going to tell me that out of all of the crazy things that happen around here, you're afraid of the dark?"

"Don't treat me like a child, Carlos. It's a perfectly rational fear. Anything could be in the dark beside you, and you wouldn't know it. Just another reason for you to join me."

"I'm not going to hide under a desk because of a thunderstorm. Don't you guys own flashlights?" Carlos reached around, trying to find any source of light.

"I never saw the need to keep one in the studio." Cecil sighed. "I'm sorry Carlos. On a completely unrelated note, is it cold in here?" Carlos realized that the temperature was indeed dropping. While the desert days could cause a man to burn to death, the same man could easily freeze in the desert nights. Cecil yelped as he suddenly felt movement beside him.

"Carlos, I've been hit! Something's got me! Save yourself!"

"It's just me." Carlos muttered, taking off his jacket. He spread it out so that it covered both men's shoulders, and leaned his head on Cecil's shoulder.

"What are you doing, Carlos?" Cecil asked, surprised at the sudden warmth.

"I'm joining you."

Epilogue:

"Carlos, how long have we been down here?"

"I don't know. Go to sleep. The sun will come up soon, and then we can go fix the power lines, OK?"

"OK."

…

…

"Carlos?"

"What?"

"I wonder if the Hooded figures are afraid of the dark?"

"Goodnight, Cecil."


End file.
